I didn't mean to create an uproar about that question. I just thought it was extremely cute. After I thought about it, though, it occurred to me that there are plenty of "shape shifting" characters in SciFi that don't have gender at all. The Founders in STS9 come to mind.

It is fun to (finally) get some interest from my youngest in what I geek out about all the time. When he yelled out (TPM, Droid Control Ship destruction) "All because of a child! Yaaayyy! Die!" I was totally losing it.